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Tag: Career Planning

What Kind Of Leader Are You?

Advice from Wendy Smith. Wendy is a Career and Life Coach helping you find fresh perspectives on life and your career. You can book a FREE coaching session or find out more at this link

What Kind Of Leader Are You? Well, let me ask you a question. If you had a choice, what kind of person would you want to follow? It is a good question to ask yourself if you are leader in any capacity. That means from leading a hobby group, a small work team or even a major corporation.

There are some obvious characteristics in our “good leader”, aren’t there? For example, we would all want a leader who acted with integrity. Integrity is the very bedrock of trust and we all hope that we can trust the person who is showing us the way ahead. As for me, I want to follow someone I believe when they tell me it is safe to take a risk. I’m not going to walk across that rope bridge to a what you tell me is a bright future unless I believe that it really is strong enough to keep me out of the river. Sometimes of course you won’t know any more than I do – but you will certainly know how to find out as much as possible. And you’ll tell me clearly what the facts are and why I should take the risk anyway, if I should.

Of course, we want a leader who has a clear vision of where we are trying to go And their works can paint it so that we can see the destination too. We want someone who can paint the future in colours that lead us to have enough faith to step out with them. We need a message that gets us all turning in the same direction – marching along together. The vision needs to be bright enough to illuminate the way.

What Kind Of Leader Are You?

Most of us would like to follow a leader who wasn’t working for their own ends but for ours. That is a servant leader who is prepared to act with compassion. John Maxwell put it this way: “Servant-leaders never pursue a mission at the expense of their people. Rather, servant-leaders earn the loyalty and best efforts of their people by serving the interests and investing in the development of those they lead. A servant-leader wants to see others succeed.”

Good leaders know that they’re only as good as the people who support them. They invest time and energy in ensuring the well-being and success of their team.

So, what kind of leader are you? Are you demonstrating integrity, vision and compassion? If not, what changes do you plan to make? You will need to change something won’t you? That is if you are serious about your career and expect others to follow you.

If you would like some help in developing your leadership skills please get in touch. Good leaders are modest enough to know that working with a coach really can make a difference.Wendy Smith is a career consultant, life coach and business coach with depth of experience in helping people lead happier lives and feel more fulfilled. She has worked in management as well as coaching and personal development, as well as starting up her own businesses. That means she is equally at home helping clients find a new career direction, starting-up a new business or dealing with life’s more challenging personal issues.

Need help finding work, with problems at work, at home or with relationships? Book a FREE coaching session with Wendy or find out more at this link

Reducing job choice risks

Career Development: The fine art of taking risks, living with “what ifs” and not having regrets

Advice from Wendy Smith. Wendy is a Career and Life Coach helping you find fresh perspectives on your life particularly your career. You can book a FREE coaching session or find out more at this link

Reducing job choice risks – we know that people who make career plans and have a career goal are usually more successful. One occasion when having a clear plan is particularly useful, is when it comes to deciding between opportunities. Let us suppose you are one of those lucky people who has been offered two good jobs. How do you decide between them? If you have a goal and a plan to achieve it, then you have a map of the territory you need to travel to make your decision.

Reducing job choice risks – have a plan

If you have a plan and a goal, you can set your criteria for selection. These would be mine! Which of these two jobs is;

Most compatible with my career plan and the goal I have set myself.

Provides the money I need to support myself,

Meets my needs to exercise autonomy and express my our own special talents and creativity

Provides a boss I find inspiring and a team I want to work with

Fits in with the rest of my life

This is my list for reducing job choice risks. You have to make your own, I’m afraid. But, however you decide, you need to recognize that your choice brings with it an element of risk. Even though you think you have done your homework well. You have done lots of research on the organization, asked lots of questions and consulted contacts who have encountered them in the past. Still, when you start , work it is often quite different to what you expected. It may turn out not to be the exact fit you thought it was. And that boss may turn out to be human , just like the rest of us, and to have flaws. That is the risk you take with any job.

Making no choice is not an option. You make the best choice you can! But making a choice always comes with risks. It is always possible the other job could have turned out better. But how much use is spending time thinking about that?Surely it is better to commit yourself to the job you have taken and do your best in it. Wasting time on regrets and thinking about what might have been doesn’t do anything good for you at all. It simply erodes your enthusiasm and your ability to shine where you are. But remember reducing job choice risks is helped by having a plan.

Wendy Smithis a Life Coach helping you find fresh perspectives on your life including your career. She helps people lead happier lives and feel more fulfilled. Need help finding work, with problems at work, at home or with relationships? Book a FREE coaching session with Wendy or find out more at this link

Being Good At Your Job

“Being good at your job requires much more than just being smart. Success in any career, job, or even task requires more than mere intelligence. Certainly book smarts can help but career advancement requires many things such as perseverance, good communication skills, flexibility, adaptability, and most of all, experience. From my perspective nothing can replace experience and good judgment. Maybe it’s because I’m a risk manager. The best risk managers don’t just rely on quantitative models but draw upon their experience and differentiate themselves through their judgment.” Andrea Pozzi, Managing Director, Citigroup

If you would like some help in developing your career skills please get in touch. Successful leaders are modest enough to know that working with a coach really can make a difference.

Wendy Mason is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

A free trial/consultation allows you to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home and without risk. Don’t forget to ask about the Summer Special Offer

Being good at your job requires much more than just being smart.

“Being good at your job requires much more than just being smart. Success in any career, job, or even task requires more than mere intelligence. Certainly book smarts can help but career advancement requires many things such as perseverance, good communication skills, flexibility, adaptability, and most of all, experience. From my perspective nothing can replace experience and good judgment. Maybe it’s because I’m a risk manager. The best risk managers don’t just rely on quantitative models but draw upon their experience and differentiate themselves through their judgment.” Andrea Pozzi, Managing Director, Citigroup

If you would like some help in developing your career skills please get in touch. Successful leaders are modest enough to know that working with a coach really can make a difference.

Wendy Mason is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

A free trial/consultation allows you to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home and without risk. Don’t forget to ask about the Summer Special Offer

What Kind Of Leader Are You?

What kind of leader are you? So, if you had a choice, what kind of person would you want to follow? It is a good question to ask yourself if you are leader in any capacity – from a hobby group, a small work team to a major corporation.

Well, there are some obvious characteristics, aren’t there? For example, we would all want a leader who acted with integrity. Integrity is the very bedrock of trust and we all hope that we can trust the person who is showing us the way ahead. As for me, I want to follow someone I can believe when they tell me it is safe to take a risk. I’m not going to walk across that rope bridge to a what you tell me is a bright future unless I believe that it really is strong enough to keep me out of the river. Now, sometimes of course you won’t know any more than I do – but you will certainly know how to find out as much as possible. And you’ll tell me clearly what the facts are and why I should take the risk anyway, if I should.

Then, of course, we want a leader who has a clear vision of where we are trying to go and can paint it in a way that we can see the destination too. We want someone who can paint the future in colours that lead us to have enough faith to step out with them. We need a message that gets us all turning in the same direction and marching a long together. That vision needs to be bright enough to illuminate the way.

Most of all we would like to follow a leader who wasn’t working for their own ends but for ours; a servant leader who is prepared to act with compassion. John Maxwell put it this way: “Servant-leaders never pursue a mission at the expense of their people. Rather, servant-leaders earn the loyalty and best efforts of their people by serving the interests and investing in the development of those they lead. A servant-leader wants to see others succeed.” Good leaders know that they’re only as good as the people who support them and so they invest time and energy in ensuring the well-being and success of their team.

What Kind Of Leader Are You?

So, what kind of leader are you? Are you demonstrating integrity, vision and compassion? If not, what changes do you plan to make? You will need to change something won’t you, if you are serious about your career and expect others to follow you.

If you would like some help in developing your leadership skills please get in touch. Good leaders are modest enough to know that working with a coach really can make a difference.

Wendy Mason is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

A free trial/consultation allows you to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home and without risk. Don’t forget to ask about the Summer Special Offer

Getting Fired – How to handle it

Career Development – Worst Case Scenario – How To Handle Getting Fired

Getting fired is miserable. Below is a great post from About.com Job Searching by the wonderful Alison Doyle on how to handle it. The employment law she refers to is American and you will need to check what applies in your country. But I believe the themes and her wise advice apply generally.

“Getting fired, unfortunately, can happen to the best of us. It can happen even when it’s not your fault. There could be a personality conflict between yourself and your supervisor. Your idea of what the job was going to be like might differ from what management was thinking. You could have simply screwed up. It happens. You’re not alone.

Wrongful Termination

Experts estimate that at least 250,000 workers are illegally or unjustly fired (wrongful termination) each year and that’s not counting those that were justifiably terminated. Regardless of the circumstances, what to do if you’ve been fired? Where do you go from here?

Getting Fired

First of all, don’t beat yourself up. As I said, getting fired can happen to the best of us. Don’t dwell on it. Instead, focus on what you are going to do next and how you are going to find another job. Keeping in mind that another hurdle – the stigma of being fired – has just been added to your job search. That said, there are ways you can address this issue and put it in at least a neutral, if not a positive, light.

The support of a career coach can make a huge difference in these circumstances and I offer a free taster coaching session if you would like some quick advice – contact details are below.

Wendy Mason is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

A free trial/consultation allows you to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home and without risk. Don’t forget to ask about the Summer Special Offer

Career Development – Worst Case Scenario – How To Handle Getting Fired

Below is a great post from About.com Job Searching by the wonderful Alison Doyle. The employment law she refers to is American and you will need to check what applies in your country. But I believe the themes and her wise advice apply generally.

“Getting fired, unfortunately, can happen to the best of us. It can happen even when it’s not your fault. There could be a personality conflict between yourself and your supervisor. Your idea of what the job was going to be like might differ from what management was thinking. You could have simply screwed up. It happens. You’re not alone.

Wrongful Termination

Experts estimate that at least 250,000 workers are illegally or unjustly fired (wrongful termination) each year and that’s not counting those that were justifiably terminated. Regardless of the circumstances, what to do if you’ve been fired? Where do you go from here?

Getting Fired

First of all, don’t beat yourself up. As I said, getting fired can happen to the best of us. Don’t dwell on it. Instead, focus on what you are going to do next and how you are going to find another job. Keeping in mind that another hurdle – the stigma of being fired – has just been added to your job search. That said, there are ways you can address this issue and put it in at least a neutral, if not a positive, light.

The support of a career coach can make a huge difference in these circumstances and I offer a free taster coaching session if you would like some quick advice – contact details are below.

Wendy Mason is the The Career Coach – helping you to find fresh perspectives on your Job Search and Career. She helps you work towards your goals and aspirations, in a way that fits in with both work and home life. Email her at wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

A free trial/consultation allows you to try phone coaching from the comfort of your own home and without risk. Don’t forget to ask about the Summer Special Offer

Choosing the right job

Career Development: The fine art of taking risks, living with “what ifs” and not having regrets

Choosing the right job – how do you decide which job is right for you? We know that people who make career plans and have a career goal are usually more successful. One occasion when having a clear plan is particularly useful is when it comes to deciding between opportunities. Let us suppose you are one of those lucky people, very lucky in the present climate, who has been offered two good jobs. How do you decide between them? If you have a goal and a plan to achieve it, then you have a map of the territory you need to travel to make your decision.

Choosing the right job – criteria!

If you have a plan and a goal, you can set your criteria for selection. These would be mine! Which of these two jobs is;

Most compatible with my career plan and the goal I have set myself.

Provides the money I need to support myself,

Meets my needs to exercise autonomy and express my our own special talents and creativity

Provides a boss I find inspiring and a team I want to work with

Fits in with the rest of my life

This is my list – you have to make your own, I’m afraid. But however you decide, you need to recognize that your choice brings with it an element of risk. Even though you think you have done your homework well. You have done lots of research on the organization, asked lots of questions and consulted contacts who have encountered them in the past. Still, when you start work it is different to what you expected, because all jobs are to some extent. It may turn out not to be the exact fit you thought it was and that boss may turn out to be human , just like the rest of us, and to have flaws. That is the risk you take with any job.

Making no choice is not an option. You make the best choice you can! But making a choice always comes with risks. It is always possible the other job could have turned out better. But how much use is spending time thinking about that? Surely it is better to commit yourself to the job you have taken and do your best in it. I’m not suggesting that you should stay put if you are being badly treated but let us assume it remains a reasonable job with reasonable people. Then wasting time on regrets and thinking about what might have been doesn’t do anything good for you at all. It simply erodes your enthusiasm and your ability to shine where you are.

And yet I encounter time and again people who are spending time on “what ifs” and “if onlys”. They become so absorbed in the day dream of how it could have been that they lose the ability to focus on the here and now and be happy where they are. Don’t let that happen to you? If you find yourself starting down that track imagine a big Stop Sign. Pull yourself up and make a list of all the good things about where you are now. Then go out and do something, don’t spend time ruminating – that way lies unhappiness. If all else fail get in touch with someone like me – work with a coach or counsellor and learn how to focus on the present – that way lies happiness and success.

Wendy Mason is the Happiness Coach and author of a new novel,The Wolf Project. Wendy is a life and career coach and writer. She is passionate about helping people find happiness at work and at home! To find out more email: wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

A free trial/consultation allows you to give phone coaching a real trial without any financial risk. And remember there are great benefits to be achieved from coaching by phone or Skype.

Career Development: 4 Ways To Get Help Planning Your Career Goals

Today’s post comes to you from Tamara M. Williams who a Software Developer that I met on LinkedIn. Tamara uses her free time to learn more about Technology and a wide variety of other topics. You can read more of her articles on EzineArticles at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tamara_M._Williams

Have you stopped to think about your current Career choices? Are you reaching your Career goals? Maybe you have not made any Career goals or don’t know who to turn to. The key to developing your Career goals is to start with an assessment of what you already have and where you are now. Then the next step is to focus on what you want to achieve.

How To Get Help Planning Your Career Goals

You choose a career path and gain years of experience but do you upgrade your skills or qualifications? You know that there are a list of recommended skills and qualifications that you should have. However, these keep changing and you have to learn how to keep up. Finding where you can get help can improve your chances of reaching your Career goals.

1. HR Department at Work

How often you evaluate your career depends on which industry you work in. Your company’s culture or your job role could also influence you. The skills and qualifications that got you the job might not be the same ones needed now. Ask your Human Resource Department about providing you with a list of updated skills and qualifications needed to keep up-to-date in your career. Get advice on how to update your Career Goals so that you are always at the top of your game.

2. College/University Career Centres

At University or College, a Career Centre helps you to determine your career goals. You can meet with Career Consultants for help on choosing a career path. Ask for a Development Plan (PDP) template. This will help you to create or update your Career Goals. Read Career books and magazines that interests you. Use them to learn more about the skills and qualifications needed to get into those careers.

3. Career Websites

Use career websites to access resources anytime and anywhere. Read various job descriptions and find out about the recommended skills and qualifications. Take it a step further and complete various career assessment tools such as Psychometric tests. You can also complete worksheets on creating SMART Goals and Action Plans. You should select a few worksheets to start off with and then use more when you need to.

4. Career Coaches

Regardless of the resources you have available you might choose to have a Career Coach provide one-to-one support. You can choose this option whether or not you are studying or working. Sometimes, you need an extra push to get you started or just want someone dedicated to assisting you. Career Coaches are there to learn more about what your dreams are. Afterwards, they inform you of the steps you should take to get there. You meet with them as often as you like and complete various assessments at your own pace. You receive a more detailed and custom-made approach to help you find out what you want to achieve in your Career.

Choose one or more from above and stay focused on achieving your Career Goals. Seeking advice from experts is the best way to move your Career to the next level.

About the Author

Tamara M. Williams is a Software Developer with over 5 years of experience. She uses her free time to learn more about Technology and a wide variety of other topics. Read more of her articles on EzineArticles at http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Tamara_M._Williams

Career Development – The Value of a Career Plan!

A career plan can help you be clear about your skills and how you would like to use them. Developing a plan can help you think through your next move in a career that best suits your talents; what further skills you need and what training you might seek.

By developing a career plan, you can work out the overall direction you want your career to take. The work needed to make your plan will help you have a better understanding of your skills and experience when you are preparing your CV/resume.

But, one in point to keep in mind is that your career plan should be a tool and a not a constraint. You may have a plan, but you should regard it as a living document that requires regular review, at least once each year for the following reasons

New opportunities may emerge

These days the job market is in a constant state of flux

Your personal circumstances and needs may change

You may have developed new skills

You will have gained more and possibly more diverse experiences

A career plan is useful, but don’t let it blind you to the exciting opportunities that you may discover along the way. Because they don’t fit in exactly with what you had planned don’t just dismiss them – be ready to be flexible and reconsider what you had planned. Also, if unfortunately something goes wrong (such as, redundancy), don’t see that as an end to your career – treat it as an opportunity to re-assess your plan and make a fresh start.

Making a plan

Here is some guidance;

Decide your career goals, over the next year, three years and five years and then have a very flexible longer term goal. Shorter term career goals can be about quite specific jobs you want to do or experience you want to gain. Very long-term goals might be about working in a particular field and reaching a particular level.

In thinking through career goals, you discover career possibilities you wouldn’t have thought of otherwise. There may be several different job possibilities within any chosen field. Do some research – don’t settle for just what you know about already.

A career goal should fit in with what you want from all parts of your life; such as the level of income you may need if you plan to marry and have a family.

Think about how you need to prepare to meet your goals. Do you need special training or to seek out particular kinds of experience? If so, explore how you can find and support them.

Write your career plan down – commit it to paper. Then, if you are serious about it, share it with someone you trust and make sure you are able to explain it clearly to them. That is a good way to make sure your plan has real value and it should mean you make to a real commitment to it.

Put a date in your diary for your first review and start putting your plan into action.

Good luck with your plan and if you would like some help please get in touch – I offer a telephone (plus by Skype and on-line) coaching service and the first session is free.

Wendy Mason is the Happiness Coach and author of a new novel,The Wolf Project. Wendy is a life and career coach and writer. She is passionate about helping people find happiness at work and at home! To find out more email wendymason@wisewolfcoaching.com, find her on Skype at wendymason14, or call +44 (0) 2081239146 (02081239146 for UK callers) or +1 262 317 9016 if you are in the US.

A free trial/consultation allows you to give phone coaching a real trial without any financial risk. And remember there are great benefits to be achieved from coaching by phone or Skype.